Dog Days Are Over
by strukkfirst
Summary: Olivia never wanted to get her acceptance letter to Hogwarts- it reminded her that she was a part of a magical community that had helped to rip her life apart. But can a certain Sirius Black help change her mind?
1. Prologue: You Can't Carry it with You

Prologue: Can't Carry It with You if You Want to Survive

I never thought the acceptance letter would come, and a part of me hadn't wanted it to. The arrival of the letter only meant that the three years of constant effort to suppress my magic had failed. That after all that time of abandoning my powers, I was still a witch. That I can't ignore the existence of magic. I had made the choice to ignore magic out of survival, because I couldn't bear to think of the evil magic can do, how it so easily ripped my life apart.

And with the letter, considering my current residence at a muggle foster home, came the arrival of Albus Dumbledore. I know a part of me was begging to go to Hogwarts, but I wasn't going to give the magic within me the satisfaction. I had to make it suffer with my indifference. I had to make it believe that I would be willing to give it up. I know Dumbledore saw right through me, but he played along anyway. He made it seem like the coming choice would be the most difficult of my life: would I go to Hogwarts or not? As if it was even a choice. Because I knew, no matter what, that I was _going_ to be at King's Cross Station on September the first.


	2. Chapter One: Like a Train on a Track

Chapter One: Like a Train on a Track

*Seven Years Later*

Happiness barreled into me like a train—happiness being Lily, barreling into me with damn near the force of a train and nearly knocking me over.

"Merlin, Lily, it's only been a summer! I haven't come back from the dead," I joke, slowly getting the life squeezed out of me by the tiny red-head.

"Only a summer. Ha! It feels like a lifetime! And you don't exactly write like you talk—I missed all your lame comments," Lily grins.

"Lame? I worked on that one for like a week!" She raises her eyebrows, and I relent. "Okay, so maybe I did make it up just now."

The train whistle blows it's last warning, so I call my good-byes to my foster mother without bothering to give her a hug—it's not like we hate each other, just more of a mutual agreement to engage as little as possible—and run after Lily and onto the train, dragging my ridiculously heavy trunk behind me. I watch through a window as a first-year drops her owl and, while attempting to pick up the poor bird, drops an overloaded trunk that promptly explodes clothing across the platform. Times like these make me grateful I don't have a pet.

Lily turns into a compartment, which I obediently follow her into without really noticing what it is. Strange looks are instantly shot my way, which I return with confused glances. Suddenly a (stuck-up looking) Ravenclaw boy lets out a loud snort.

"This is the prefect compartment, so unless you've got a badge, I suggest you find somewhere else to sit." My eyes grow wide and I can't help but smirk: Lily never sits with the prefects, as she can't stand the stuck-up prats like this kid here.

"Lils, is there something you neglected to tell me?" I'm still smirking and know full well what she's about to say. The only reason she'd be forcing herself to stay with this morons is because…

"I made Head Girl," she blushes, pulling out the badge from the pocket of her robes.

I drop my trunk and pull her in for a tight hug, squealing, "Ohmymerlin I knew you would! You're the perfect pick! There's no—" I'm abruptly cut off by the obnoxious boy clearing his throat now. "What?" I snap at him, whipping my head around to look (and by look I mean death glare) him in the eyes.

"Unless you have a prefect badge, you have to leave." Well isn't someone bitter. I suspect he didn't get Head Boy and is taking it out on me. Or maybe he is Head Boy and is asserting his authority… Nah, I'm gonna go with the former. As if to confirm my suspicions, Potter bursts into the compartment with a gleaming Head Boy badge on his chest.

"Potter?" Lily and I shout simultaneously. "You're Head Boy?"

"That I am, Lilyflower." Lily rolls her eyes at the much hated nickname. "Ollie, what are you doing in here?" James says a he glances at me.

"I was just leaving." I shoot a glare at the Ravenclaw, who smirks and gives a small wave. I resist the urge to take care of him muggle-style.

I drag my trunk down the corridor (not an easy task, mind you—I swear it's growing heavier) and flop into my usual compartment, where Mary MacDonald and Marlene McKinnon are already settled. "Hey Mary, Mars," I say as I hoist my trunk onto the overhead.

Marlene just grunts hello (we've never been the best of friends) while Mary actually responds. "Hey Liv, how was your holiday?"

"Uneventful." I don't return the question: I honestly don't care how her ninth trip to France went, but even without my prompting, she launches into a full-scale rant of her entire trip. Our compartment door flies open at exactly the right time, successfully interrupting Mary and leaving me extremely grateful to the intruder. Well at least until I see who it is. "What do you want, Black?" I say with contempt.

"Is that any way to treat a guest?" he says as he smirks. I bet he thinks he looks so good right now. For your information, he doesn't. His perfectly messy hair just makes him look like an arrogant git, and his mischievous gray eyes are entirely unattractive. Ugh he's just basically the most obnoxious person on the planet. I silently vow to do the opposite of whatever he says just to piss him off.

"You're in a train compartment. That hardly makes you a guest."

"So you don't mind if we join you then?" he asks, already loading two trunks onto the overhead.

"Actually, we do mind," I retort coolly. His eyes grow big when he sees I'm not kidding.

"Okay, then, Pete. Let's find somewhere else to sit and leave these girls alone." Why did he say that? Why didn't he fight? I silently curse my stupid silent vow.

"Ugh, fine! Stay!" I surrender. Sirius grins at me as he plops down at my side.

"I knew you'd come around," he says cockily. "Come on in, Peter, there's enough room."

Pettigrew's another Marauder I can't stand. Lily has always harbored a soft spot for him, but I don't understand how she does it: the guy gives me the creeps. So really the only Marauders I _can_ stand are Remus and James (despite what Lily thinks, I think he's kind of funny). Peter waddles in and squashes himself between Mary and Marlene, who glance at each other with self pity. I cross my arms and stare huffily into the air in front of me.

"Where's Remus? Shouldn't the prefect meeting be over by now?" I desperately want to see the only person capable of keeping Black in check. Like now.

"Nah, they've gotta sort out all the patrol schedules and stuff. He'll be in that stupid meeting for at least another half hour. Maybe more, if Prongs and Lily fight at all," Black responds, clearly missing the annoyance in my voice. I sigh again as I close my eyes and lean my head back against the seat, bracing myself for a very long half hour.

I hear the trolley bell ring as the plump little witch pushes the rickety old cart by our compartment. At first I don't stir, but the sudden flash of movement next to me startles me, causing me to jump back and smack my head against the window. I rub my head angrily as Black and Pettigrew sprint out of the compartment to grab some snacks. An idea strikes suddenly—I whip out my wand with my right hand while slamming the door closed with my left and seal it shut with magic. A simple _Alohamora_ would get anyone out or in, but Black and Pettigrew are effectively locked out: both their wands lay resting on their seats. They seem to realize what I've done and begin pounding on the window. _It's _jammed, I mouth pseudo-sympathetically before I shove the curtain across the glass portion of the door. Mary sighs gratefully, and even Mars lets a smirk cross her lips.

"Nicely done, Garrott," Marlene congratulates. I know she's trying to be nice, but I really hate it when she calls me by my last name. I think Olivia is a perfectly fine first name, thank you.

"I can't stand him," is my reply. I'm not in the mood for fighting on the first day.

"Liv." Ah, there we go. Use of the first name by Marlene McKinnon. "Sirius practically worships the ground you walk on." And the truth is out: The real reason Marlene doesn't exactly love me is (insert drum roll here) she thinks the reason Sirius doesn't like her is because he's in _love_ with me. Fat chance.

Unfortunately, none of this stops the color from rising in my face; I can feel myself turning red. Blushing? Oh this was so not good. Girls do not blush over mortal enemies. I _so_ do not blush over Sirius Black.

****A/N: You guys like it so far? Merlin I love the Marauders. Okay so we all see where this is going: I ask if you like it, we make small talk, then I beg shamelessly for reviews. So let's skip the small talk and go straight to the shameless begging… Please? Lots of love, and keep reading!****


	3. Chapter Two: No Turning Back

Chapter Two: No Turning Back

We finally make it to the castle after a bitterly cold and seemingly endless carriage ride: The journey was so miserable I hardly had the heart to reminisce poignantly and lament on how this would be my last one. Who am I kidding? Those things are awful! Good riddance, stupid horseless carriages. I nearly run into the Great Hall, anxious to start the feast, and am immediately disappointed by the absence of food. Why can't the feast happen before the Sorting? First years don't need to eat, just let the rest of us start sooner, damn it! I slouch into a seat at the Gryffindor table, with Mary and Marlene on one side of me and an empty seat on my other side. I'm hoping Lily is able to occupy it before a certain obnoxious—

"This seat taken?" Damn. Black would show up exactly where he's least wanted.

"Well actually—" I start, but I'm immediately cut off by Lily, who finally decides to grace us with her presence.

"Sorry I'm late, guys. Two second years got in a fight on the carriage, and, well, as Head Girl…" She trails off abashedly and shrinks down into the seat next to Marlene. Thanks, Lils, leave me with the annoying prat. I'll get her back for this one. Black is still staring at me expectantly, so I decide it's high time to respond.

"Never mind, I guess it isn't taken. Feel free," I say, hoping he made a silent promise to do the opposite of what I say. Normal people do stuff like that all the time, right? I mean it can't be just me…

"Good," he grins as he sits down. Apparently not. I'm actually surprised that he waited for my response before sitting down, though: Usually he thinks that any girl would be lucky to sit with him and doesn't even bother to ask.

James, Remus, and Peter decide to join the group, sliding into the seats directly across from the rest of us. Everyone finally seems to settle down, and after a seemingly eternal period of waiting, the doors to the Hall burst open as Professor McGonagall leads a hoard of nervous-looking first years down the center aisle. They look the same as last year: small, nervous, annoying. I zone out, counting the seconds until I get my food.

*Dog Days Are Over*

"Why so grouchy, Liv?" asks a half concerned, half amused Lily as I violently slam my drawer shut.

"What? You'd be grouchy too if you'd sat next to Black, who incessantly poked me 'accidentally' with whatever utensil he happened to be holding. That includes knives!" I yell. "And I completely hate unpacking." I shrug my shoulders and completely give up on trying to organize my stuff, choosing instead to fall onto my bed. "I could sleep for ages," I add.

"You're not even in your pajamas," she comments.

I groan and roll over, grunting something I hoped sounded like, "Too lazy." Lily laughs and goes back to her conversation with Mary. Why is she even in here? Doesn't she have some crazy-ass head dorm to go to? I mean I love Lily, but if I were head, I'd be livin' it up in a kick-ass dorm rather than being here, in a room that smells kind of like socks, talking with Mary. Did I mention how loud they talk? They're practically yelling. And Mars just joined in the conversation.

I slam my pillow over my head in an attempt to block out the sound—ah, I know what I forgot to do: sound-proof these damn curtains. I drag myself up and grab my wand, struggling to remember the spell I need: I make a complicated wand movement (I mean I'd describe it, but I'm not quite sure there's a word) and think the non-verbal spell. Kind of fitting that a spell that blocks out sound is unspoken. It'd be nice if the spell blocked the sound for both ways, but it doesn't, and I'm pretty sure my room mates' need is greater than mine: I tend to be a noisy sleeper and avid sleep talker. You know, nightmares about my tortured past. It's a miracle I'm as normal as I am.

"Why do you have to be so loud?" I whine.

"Why do you have to be so grouchy?" Lily retorts with a smirk. "It's incredibly out of character, actually. You were never this grouchy last year."

"I'm not grouchy," I pout, "just trying to get to sleep in a room full of noisy girls. Shouldn't you be asleep too? What time is it anyway?"

Marlene looks at the clock and guiltily replies, "One-thirty." She makes a poor attempt to hide a smile, but bursts out laughing instead. I groan and cover my ears. "You could just sleep in the common room," Mars puts it, finally getting over her laughter. Wait, Marlene McKinnon had a good idea? When was the last time that happened?

"Maybe I will," I say, grabbing my pillow and a blanket before marching out of the dormitory. By the time I reach the very empty common room, I've already second guessed this idea. What if I do have a nightmare? There's nothing in the common room that I can cast the charm on… I push the idea of turning back out of my head. There's no way I'm submitting myself to a sleepless night in the dormitory of raucous girls. And besides, the nightmare usually only comes on bad days, and I happened to think that today went pretty well. I lay out my pillow and curl up on the couch near the fire; before I know it, I'm fast asleep.

*Dog Days Are Over*

"Ollie, wake up!"

_I'm running from the house. I have to get farther away—no, I want to go back. I want to go back. I WANT TO GO BACK. But I keep running, because no matter how much I want to, I can't go back. I can't—_

"OLLIE!" I sit up at the sound of my name, gasping for air as if I actually had been running. "Are you all right?" asks a concerned-looking Sirius Black. I feel the tears rush to my eyes, and I shake my head, unable to form words. I look away from his apprehensive face and at the common room around me. I can only see a multitude of legs and a few worried faces from my perspective on the floor, which leaves me wondering: one, why I wasn't on the couch? and two, why were so many people in the common room just standing around staring at me?

"What happened?" I croak, my throat feeling incredibly sore for no apparent reason. Sirius glanced down at me nervously as though I were extremely dangerous and might attack him.

"Well you sort of woke up the whole House," he began, obviously wanting to stop there. One look from me, though, and he continued. "You just started screaming, like you were dying or something. I ran down the stairs and found you on the floor, and well," he took a deep breath, "we all thought you were dead."

The tears in my eyes spilled over; I tucked my head down between my knees. I heard Sirius quietly shooing everyone away; I was glad to hear Lily, Mary, and even Marlene protesting loudly about being made to leave, though they eventually did, vowing that if I wasn't up in the dorm in five minutes they'd be down to drag me up there and comfort me themselves. Sirius sat down on the floor next to me: I didn't exactly want him to be the one consoling me, but I couldn't bring myself to move away from him. For a while he didn't speak, just sat next to me.

"What happened?" he finally asked softly. I squeezed my eyes shut as I shook my head again. "It's okay, you don't have to tell me." Why did he have to say that? My mind suddenly became a lot clearer, and I picked my head up to look directly into his gray eyes. I cursed the stupid promise to myself, but finally I relented. I knew I was going to have to tell someone eventually.

****A/N: I was trying to do some revisions on this chapter, but SOMEONE (ahem, MySilverWings18) wouldn't answer me. So I think it turned out okay, don't you? Leave a review if you think it needs some changing (I don't mind doing post-posting alterations on chapters). And because I've been getting yelled at for 'stealing' catchphrases, I've decided to change it up a little! i Gracias mucho y que siga leyendo!**


	4. Chapter Three: Run Fast from Your Father

Chapter Three: Run Fast from Your Father

I took a deep breath. Sharing something you've held back for nine years is harder than you can imagine. I'd never thought about how tough it could be—I'd never even planned on telling. "When I was eight years old," I began, my voice sounding incredibly raspy, "my mother saved a Muggle man who was being attacked by another wizard. She didn't get any recognition for it, and the wizard who attacked the man wasn't punished; she and my father used to fight about this constantly: He thought she should have left the situation alone, that the wizard had a right to do that.

"That autumn, they had a particularly horrible fight, and I couldn't take it. I hid in my room waiting for it to get quiet again. When I finally went downstairs—" my voice broke and I let out a quiet sob; I couldn't stop here, I had to get this all out. "When I went downstairs, my mother was on the floor, my father standing over her, his face contorted with anger. He saw me come in and told me to go, just to leave and never come back. He said he didn't care where I went; as he raised his wand to blast the door open, his sleeve slipped and—" I choked again. Tears were streaming down my face, but I'd stopped caring. I had to get this off my chest.

"I saw the Dark Mark twice that night: once on my father's arm, and again above my house." I was practically sobbing as I said this. I kept speaking, only because that seemed like a melodramatic place to end the story. "So I ran. I didn't know where I was going, and I didn't have anything except the clothes I was wearing. I slept in a Muggle bus shelter that night, and someone took me to an orphanage that morning. I've lived there ever since."

"So all those jokes about your 'troubled past…'"Sirius trailed off. He turned and looked at me with a sympathetic sort of pain coursing through his eyes, and I broke down, collapsing in tears right there in his arms.

*Dog Days Are Over*

The dormitory was a mess: The last thing I needed was questions, and knowing Lily, Mary, and Mars, that would be exactly what I got. They hardly pestered me though, opting instead for a large and extremely comforting group hug. They offered to help me get ready, but I just told them I'd meet them at breakfast. Thank Merlin they'd already laid my clothes out, though, because I'm not quite sure my foggy brain could've handled the task of dressing me on its own.

I walk into the Great Hall and am greeted instantly by a chorus of whispers and sideways glances. Fighting the urge to burst into tears again, I grit my teeth and walked composedly over to the Gryffindor table, sitting myself beside Lily. Saying nothing, I begin to serve myself breakfast, trying desperately to ignore the glances from the girls and the blatant stares from the boys.

James finally works up the nerve to speak, saying, "So Ollie, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I respond, anxiously stuffing food into my mouth. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, Liv, in case you didn't notice, you woke up the whole tower by screaming bloody murder this morning. Even the ghosts were asking us what happened." Oh, Mary. Always straight to the point.

"Oh." I had been hoping we could drop this conversation. "Yea, I'm fine."

"Yea, now that Sirius has comforted her," Marlene grumbles, earning herself a sharp elbow from Lily. I hardly notice when I start to chuckle (more at the fact that Lily had injured Marlene, who was now scowling and rubbing her boob), but soon the whole group is laughing with me.

"Dog Days Are Over*

I was surprised to see that morning classes went by quickly, and before I knew it, I was headed to the Great Hall for lunch. I was not surprised, however, to see a certain Sirius Black sitting at the Gryffindor table with a girl on his lap and three more behind him, all gazing jealously at the girl on his lap. At least this means our little incident this morning left him unscarred…

I sit down as far away from Black and the whores as possible while still sitting with the Marauders, Lily, Mars, and Mary. Mary looks slightly uncomfortable, Marlene just looks sick (and jealous if you ask me), while Lily and the boys are indifferent—they're all used to this by now. I'm almost on the verge of laughing out loud, but I control myself (I really don't need the attention right now, especially not after the rumors of me being an 'attention whore' after this morning's little incident) and begin serving myself.

"Liv, how was the Charms test? Was it hard?" Mary asks concernedly. To be honest, she doesn't need to worry about school as much as she does: She'd get straight A's even without studying.

"Yea, I thought it was kind of bad, but you'll do fine. You always do." I'm not even finished speaking when suddenly Peter's mouth falls open and his silverware clambers to the floor.

"We have a Charms test?" His eyes are wide and I honestly think he might cry. Once again, I fight the urge to laugh.

"Peter, we've known about this for weeks!" Mary yells, not bothering at all with encouragement for the dumber-than-average boy.

He lets out a pathetic squeak, then stands abruptly, muttering something about going to the library to cram. James slaps his back, saying, "Nice goin', Wormtail," and Pettigrew turns and runs from the hall.

"I'll go help him," Remus sighs, standing up from his chair too. Lily shoots him a panicked look: Without Remus there, no one separates her from James, who promptly slides down to fill the vacant seat.

"Later, Moony. See you in Defense," James calls. You know, I've always wondered why the Marauders call each other such strange nicknames…

"Merlin, someone make him _stop!_" Marlene whines, snapping me out of my thoughts. I follow her gaze and see Black now completely engrossed in a full-on snogging session with the whore on his lap. I don't even bother to hold in my laughter, which escapes in more of a bark. Mars shoots me a pointed look, and I know she's nominating me for the incredibly awkward task of splitting Black from the girl.

"Fine," I sigh, standing up and walking over to the inconsiderate arse. "Black," I bark.

"'M a lil' busy," he mutters, paying me no attention whatsoever. Oh that so does not go over well with me.

"I bet he promised you the same thing," I say quietly to one of the girls standing behind him. She sneers and nods, like she's superior to me or something—_fat chance, bitch_. "I bet he also said 'This won't take long,'" I continue. She nods again. "Well then I'm sure you noticed that it's been well over twenty minutes. Maybe he's forgotten you—she could be the one I heard him talking about last night." Lie. I was asleep. But she doesn't need to know that. "He said she was special, that she'd be the only girl he'd ever snog _twice_." I added an extra tone of malice and a sneer of my own on the last word. I was good at provoking girls to make bitches of themselves: It's one of my talents.

And like I expected, Whore #1 screams, "BITCH!" and pushes Black and Whore #2's faces apart, then proceeding to nearly tackle Whore #2 off of Black, who I grab by the collar and drag out of the hall.

"What's your problem?" he shouts at me, clearly furious.

"I just saved you from a bitch fight—is that any way to treat your rescuer?" I smirk, unfazed.

"Yea, considering you started it!" he yells.

"Oh, was that me? Oops," I say entirely unapologetically. "I needed to talk to you," I say simply. He scoffs angrily but doesn't say anything, leaving me free to assume that I can continue without further admonitions. "Look," my tone shifts and becomes serious. "I wanted to thank you for this morning." At that his face softens and his eyes meet mine. "I've never told anyone that; people don't know about me, and I was kind of hoping for it to stay that way." He nods, and I continue. "Just… thanks. For being there."

He smiles lightly. "That's what friends are for."

My eyebrows instantly go up. "Friends?" I grin. "Last I checked we bordered on mortal enemies," I say with a chuckle.

"Eh, they're the same thing." My brows go up again, and he continues. "But I'll call a truce if you will," he extends his hand as he finishes, his voice laced in mock-annoyance.

"Truce," I agree, shaking his hand.

"Oh come on, friends hug!" he grins, pulling me in for THE most awkward hug of my life. If he hadn't used the exact word 'hug' in the last sentence, I would've thought it more of a strangulation. Nevertheless, it was good to no longer be mortal enemies with Sirius Black.

****A/N: I had a day off today so you can guess what I did! And if you guessed 'Rode a purple unicorn to Alaska," you'd be wrong. Sorry. I updated this story! YAAAAYYYY! You guys like it? Any haters? You know, as I was writing my other story, all I wanted to do was write this one, but now that I am writing this one, all I want to do is write the sequel to A&A. Which I'm currently planning in my head. It'll be good, promise. Review if you loved the chapter (indifference works too, but if you hated it, I'd prefer a PM so not everyone has to know about it)! Lots of love!****


	5. Chapter Four:And I Never Wanted Anything

Chapter Four: And I Never Wanted Anything from You

Being friends with Black wasn't as bad as being enemies with him: For one, he no longer plays pranks on me (I didn't have to worry about waking up with purple hair _thank Merlin_) and is somewhat nice to me. Of course there's a downside, though. Since that day (and it's been a week, mind you), Lily, Mary, and Mars (who didn't join in at first, but now participates whole heartedly) haven't stopped talking about how Black and I are 'a perfect couple.' They don't even let me protest it! As soon as I start, I get _silencio-_ed by whoever has their wand out.

"But it's so hard to believe they hated each other!" Mary says as I flop backwards onto my bed and attempt to block out the sound of her voice. Then she gasps loudly, and I can just tell that her eyes have grown wide and that her mouth is stretched into a wide smile. "But Lils, you and James 'hate' each other… This means there's hope for you two!" She bursts into a fit of giggles, and I sit up, willing to join in the discussion now that I'm no longer its topic.

"Untrue! I will never like Potter!" Lily cries indignantly as she chucks her pillow at Mary.

"But you two are _sooo_ perfect," I say mockingly, reaching for my wand as she opens her mouth to protest. She closes her mouth. Smart girl.

"Just like you and Sirius are!" Mars shouts with hilarity. This brings the topic of discussion back to me and Sirius. Damn.

"No!" I groan. "I'm not sitting through another one of these conversations! I'll be in the common room if you need me." The eyes of all three girls grow huge, and they shoot each other nervous looks.

"You're not going to sleep down there again," Lily voices anxiously. I roll my eyes.

"No, just come get me when you're sick of talking about Black." And with that I march from the dorm and into the common room. But despite the late hour, I'm not the only one seeking refuge in the common room: Black is on the couch, snoring soundly. He seems to stir as I walk over to him.

"You okay?" he asks sleepily. I take one look at him and return the question.

"Are you?" His eyes are blood-shot; his normally silky hair is in knots. I can't help but feel sorry for him right now. At the question, though, his eyes fly open: He no longer appears tired, just depressed.

"No," he answers honestly, as his right hand clenches around a piece of parchment. I hold out my hand for it—whatever is making him miserable is written on that sheet—and he hands it over without looking at me. I glance down at the parchment and barely have to read three words. _Dishonor. Disgrace. Disown._ I know exactly what the letter is about.

"I thought this was what you wanted," I say quietly, "to be separated from your family. For good."

He nods his head, with his eyes shut tightly, and says, "I thought so too. I just didn't know it would hurt so much."

"I know how you feel," I almost whisper. His head whips around to look at me, and I can tell the words _No you don't_ are ready on his lips. But he holds them back. He knows I really do know how it feels.

"Does it get better?" he croaks, and I realize now that tears are falling down his face. I sit down next to him without saying a word, but he's still looking at me expectantly, waiting for me to tell him 'Yes.' But I can't lie to him. I just shake my head.

"Not better," I whisper. "Just easier." He leans his head back against the couch, and I tuck my feet up underneath me.

And before I know it, we're both waking up to the sounds of snickering Gryffindors. Damn the Hogwarts rumor mill.

*Dog Days Are Over*

"I know what it looked like, but it's not true!" I shout for nearly the hundredth time at the snickering faces of Lily and Marlene as we walk up to Arithmancy after leaving Mary in the Great Hall. (She dropped the subject after fifth year, lucky bitch.)

"Hadn't we just finished telling her that she and Sirius would make a perfect couple?" Marlene says to Lily.

"Yes, I do believe we had," Lily banters. "So she went to see if our words were true!"

"I did not!" I screech.

"Then what did you do for a whole night?" she counters. Damn. I hadn't told them about the letter: It wasn't my business to share.

"This is partially your fault, you know," I try a different tactic. Denying it was becoming ineffective. "You said you would wake me up when you were finished discussing Black!"

"And while we were talking about him, you were 'talking' with him!" She makes air quotes around talking.

"Exactly!" I say. "Talking! That's all!" Lily opens her mouth to respond, but thinks better of it—we were right at the door to the Arithmancy room after all. I'm grateful for our arrival, as it means that this conversation is finally over; well, it's over as long as I don't sit with either of them. So I sit where Lily wouldn't dare: right between James and Remus. (Thank Merlin Black isn't in this class—he and Pettigrew take Care of Magical Creatures.)

"Hey, Ollie," Remus greets as I sit down. James just snickers.

"Hey, Remus," I say politely, ignoring James except to 'accidentally' smack him on the head with my textbook as I pull it out of my bag. Today is going to be fun.

*Dog Days Are Over*

Black and I have an unspoken, mutual understanding: Avoid each other at all costs until the rumors die down. So it was just by pure coincidence that we walked into the Great Hall for lunch at the exact same time. You can imagine the uproar of whispers.

"Hey, the rumors are true! I guess they are a couple!" some asinine Ravenclaw boy yelled.

Several girls burst out crying, one (I distinctly remember her from somewhere—oh yea, wasn't she Whore #2?) actually yells, "Siri-kins, you said you'd wait for me!" You know, it'd almost be worth dating Black just to see the girls react like this on a daily basis. Almost.

"What's it like dating the great Sirius Black?" the asshole Ravenclaw calls to me. Before I know it, I'm across the Great Hall, holding the moron by the collar.

"We are _not_ dating," I snarl.

His eyes glint with some dark emotion (I suspect lust) as he returns my snarl. "Prove it."

So I do. I kiss the git right on the mouth, still holding him by the collar. "Proof enough for ya?" I ask, shoving him backwards and stalking away.

The hall is immensely quiet, though I can distinctly make out the sounds of more than a few girls whispering, "Oh thank Merlin." Whores.

I walk over to my usual spot at the Gryffindor table and sit down next to Black. Anyone who still thinks we're dating is a dumbass, so I guess that means it's safe to be friends.

*Dog Days Are Over*

"Come on, Liv, you don't have to call me Black all the time! We're friends now!" Black pesters me at dinner. I grin at him and turn back to my food. "Call me Padfoot!"

"That's okay, I prefer Black," I say, clearly annoying him.

"At _least_ call me Sirius!" he whines.

"I think _Black_ has a nice ring to it, don't you?"

"You're hopeless," he scowls, turning away from me and beginning a conversation with Remus. I smile to myself and look down at my plain mashed-potatoes.

"Hey, Padfoot, pass the gravy?" I say with a grin.

"Sure," he says as he hands it over. I count the seconds it takes for him to realize… "Hey!" he says (finally) with a double-take. "You called me Padfoot!"

"Mhmm," I say, my mouth stuffed with delicious potato. "But it was too weird. Don't expect it to happen again."

"Secretly, she's thrilled to be friends with you again," Lily whispers 'discreetly' to Black from across the table. I just shoot Lily a glare, not bothering to chastise her. Because for some crazy reason, I think she might be right.

****A/N: So I'm kinda proud of this chapter… I like it A LOT. Did you? Do you wanna talk about it? Give me compliments on it? (Come on, you know how this goes…) I love writing this story. I really do. It's got some MAJOR twists coming up (insert evil laughter here), though probably a lot later on. And I'm not telling, or giving anyone any hints! (Certain people must also adhere to this rule—you know who you are…) Once again, love you all!****


	6. Chapter Five: Should Have Known Better

Chapter Five: Should Have Known Better Than That

"So why do the guys have such strange nicknames for each other?" I say just to make conversation with Lily as we march up to Charms. Expecting a simple 'I don't know,' and a good laugh about the strangeness of boys, her abrupt silence earns a glance from me. Stopped in her tracks, she's bright red and staring up at me with massive Bambi eyes. (Muggle reference? Merlin, I hang out with Lily too much.) But still, this reaction deserves some heckling ... "What? Are the boys all part of some secretive club that requires shifty nicknames? You in on their secret?" I smirk.

"N-no," she stammers, starting to walk again. "Seriously, why the questions?" she attempts to cover. Sorry, Lils, little too late for that.

"Conversation," I shrug as we walk into the classroom. "Which will be continued later," I add in a hoarse whisper as she tries to find a seat far away from me. She got that tactic from me, didn't she?

*Dog Days Are Over*

"So what is it?" I pester Lily on the way to lunch. She's been avoiding me since this morning, and I fully intend to get an answer out of her now. "Secret club? Inside joke? Ooo, secret meanings? Do the names have hidden meanings?" I practically shout. "Hm, Remus is Moony. What could Moony mean?" I wonder aloud.

"Drop it, Liv," Lily snaps, turning on her heel to face me. "It's none of your business, okay?"

"And it's yours? Are you in on the secret then? In their secret band of friends? I guess dating Potter would have its advantages," I sneer right back. She may be my best friend, but there's no way I'm dropping this so easily.

Her eyes are big again, and for a moment I think she's contemplating slapping me. "That was uncalled for, Olivia." Her face grows cold as she says this, turning and storming into the hall. I know she's right: I shouldn't have gone that far, and she's touchy about Potter as it is.

"What's Lily mad about?" Remus asks, appearing from behind me with his characteristic smile. But there's something off—his smile doesn't reach his eyes. His face falls for a brief second, and I see what he's really feeling: something like a mixture of worry and disdain, like he's dreading something. Dreading me? He fake-smiles again as he follows Lily into the Great Hall, but I know why he's upset. I know he heard our whole conversation.

I killed two birds with one stone: Isn't that the phrase Lily always uses? With that one fight, I hurt two friends.

I don't know if I can take a whole lunch of this—just people in general—so I turn on my heel and head for the kitchen. At least the house elves won't ask why I have tears streaming down my face.

*Dog Days Are Over*

"She cried, Lils! She never cries!" I hear Mary nearly yell at Lily. I'm almost positive they don't know I'm in the dorm, hiding in my bed with the curtains closed.

"She brought it on herself," Lily says, fighting hard to keep the emotion out of her voice. _Lily's right,_ I think, also fighting to suppress a sob. "It's not her business what they call themselves, and she had no right to attack me for it," she says in a huff.

"You're both blowing this way out of proportion! It's just stupid nicknames!" Marlene screams, finally having had enough of the bickering.

Lily says something softly and sadly; she's no longer fighting to keep her voice neutral.

"What?" Mary asks. Thank Merlin. I wanted to hear that last part.

"It's not the nicknames," Lily repeats, barely louder than before. "It's just that I've never held something from her before. I've never lied to her." Immediately I fight the urge to sob—just break down and cry: I never told her about my parents—I've lied about them loads of times. "I've got to fix this," Lily says, running from the dormitory.

"You can cry openly now, Liv," Marlene calls from across the room. How'd she know I was here? A sob escapes my lips before I can give it any more thought, and suddenly I'm crying without abandon. After about five minutes, I pull myself together. Now it's my turn to look for Lily.

*Dog Days Are Over*

I'd barely reached the common room when Lily and I ran at each other and fell into a hug.

"I'm so sorry!" we both wailed simultaneously.

"It just wasn't my secret to tell—"

"—I know I shouldn't have gotten angry—"

"—I'm not even supposed to know—"

"—And I'm so sorry I never told you the truth about my parents," I say, stopping Lily, who had her mouth open to continue, mid-sentence.

"Truth?" she pauses. "You mean your real parents aren't too poor to take care of you?" I winced at the lame lie I'd passed for the truth since first year.

"Lily, I—"

"It's okay," she cuts me off. "I won't ask your secret if you won't ask mine—well, the boys' secret, technically." I hug her tightly, both of us glad to be over fighting.

Several third years "awwwwww" while I hear someone say loudly, "Hey, looks like they're friends again! Guess you don't need to tell her, Moony!" I know immediately that that someone is Sirius, standing in the portrait hole with a stricken looking Remus. Lily is glancing nervously between the two of them, Remus isn't looking any more relieved, and Sirius is now casually walking up to the boys' dormitories. Lily and Remus seem to have a silent conversation before the former follows Sirius's lead and departs. The latter then looks up at me, then turns and walks out the portrait hole, and I instinctively know to follow him.

I guess his secret is big enough that it requires its own empty classroom, rather than just having it whispered in my ear in the middle of the common room.

*Dog Days Are Over*

"Oh Remus," I say as I pull him in for a long hug. It felt strange to have such an emotional conversation in a random empty classroom, but I could deal. I had mentally prepared myself for the worst, and lycanthropy was far from it. Werewolves I could handle.

"You don't hate me?" he says quietly. The simplicity of his question breaks my heart.

"Of course not," I reply. "James, Peter, and Sirius are all fine with it—Lily too: This is here 'big secret, right? The one that's not hers to tell?" He nods, and we sit in silence.

"So now you know the reasoning behind 'Moony.' Does that mean the rest of us have to share too?" Suddenly Sirius appears from nowhere and is leaning against the doorway, cocky as ever.

I smile and shake my head. "Need to know basis. I think I've learned my lesson about digging into other people's business." Remus pats my shoulder while Sirius just grins, and we all walk back to the common room together.

*Dog Days Are Over*

"Merlin, this week has been tiring," Mary complains to me as we sit in the common room doing homework: It's been two days since I learned Remus's secret.

"At least you haven't been so preoccupied with it all that you've completely put off school work," I whine as she finishes her final assignment and tucks the parchment in her bag.

"Sorry, hun! Not my fault! Do you need me to stay up with you?"

"No," I smile at her generosity—willing to give up sleep for me? What great friends I have! "You go on up to bed. I still have a bunch more to do."

"Night!" she says as she leaves me alone in the common room. As soon as I'm by myself with my work, I find it extremely difficult to concentrate: The silence deafens me, the assignment (I think it's Potions, but I'm not quite sure right now—I'm tired—don't judge) bores me to death, and I can't stop thinking about how jealous I am of everyone who gets to sleep.

The last thing I remember thinking was _You know, I really need to break this weird habit of falling asleep in the common room._ Then I was sucked into a sleep so deep that I almost didn't notice the pair of strong arms wrap gently around me.

_Almost._

****A/N: Well that's it! Did you like it? Did ya? Did ya? I really didn't plan for most of this—it just sort of happened. I know a lot happens quickly and with few words in between, but that's how it fell at ten at night. I kinda liked how it ended up being broken up into the small sections: Did you? This story is about to get really good (yes, it **_**can**_** get better, as hard as that is to believe… haha kidding), though. A few twists and turns and crazy happenings… so get excited! The best is yet to come. Love you all! Review if you return the love!****


	7. Chapter Six: Hid Around Corners

Chapter Six: Hid Around Corners

My eyelids flutter open as I see the sunlight illuminate the bed hangings, creating an eerie yet beautiful red glow. I smile to myself and throw back the curtains to glimpse the gorgeously sunny morning through the window over Mary's bed.

"Ah, Padfoot, you're awake," comes a voice. I know that voice, and it as sure as hell isn't Mary's; even so, it takes my foggy morning brain a moment to register just who the voice _did_ belong to.

"Remus?" I finally croak, now entirely confused and wondering why he's in the girls' dormitories. How did he get past the stairs?

"Padfoot," he sighs dramatically. At first I think he's talking to me, but he isn't looking at the bed anymore. "What do we keep telling you? If you're going to bring a girl into the bedroom, the rest of us need a warning at least 24 hours prior so we can make other arrangements! Otherwise just use the Room of Requirement!" Us? Wait why was Remus talking about the dorm like it was… his? Realization hit me, snapping me fully out of my tired stupor. In my shock and somewhat an effort to cover myself (which was completely irrational, considering I was still in my school clothes from yesterday), I grabbed the sheets and jumped backwards in surprise, effectively falling off the bed.

"Oof," someone says from under me.

"AH!" I scream and fly off the person on the floor, throwing myself against the wall. I'm still clutching the bed sheets like my life depends on them.

"Wha's goin' on?" Sirius slurs, sitting up from his position on the floor.

"Yes, what the bloody hell is going on?" I shout back. He takes one look at me and immediately knows _exactly _what's going on. He actually lets out a laugh.

"Well, you see, Ollie, you fell asleep in the common room last night," he says through a bout of laughter. "I didn't want a repeat of last time and I can't exactly get up to your dorms, so I brought you up here. And it's not like you'd appreciate waking up in the same bed as me, so I took the floor." He says all this like it's the simplest solution in the world.

"And you didn't think about what people would say? If they saw us walking from _the same dorm?_" I fire back.

"Oh, no, not really," he says with a smirk, apparently just thinking about it now. Dumbass. "I figured you'd be grateful. You know, to me for being your _savior_ and all that." Is he mocking me for the whole bitch-fight thing? I think he's mocking me!

"Dumbass," I say out loud this time as I pick myself up from the floor and march from the dormitory.

"Well that went well," I hear Remus mutter just before I slam the door behind me. _Yes, Remus, it most certainly did._

The whispering starts almost immediately with my entrance into the common room through the boys' entrance. I realize how bad this looks: Me in my clothes from yesterday looking exhausted and disheveled.

"Oh shut it," I say to a particularly aghast looking group of girls whispering in a corner. "Like you've never been in the boys' dorms." Well now that I think about it, they probably haven't. I move on from the girls, making my way over to my own dormitory. I desperately need to shower and change (like my reasoning wasn't obvious).

"Where have you been?" asks a concerned Lily as I walk through the door to my room. Once again: Why is she here? Are her head dorms like disgusting or something? _Well she did share them with Potter, which was probably awful to her…_

"Yea, we went down to the common room to bring you up here after you didn't come up last night," Mars pipes up from across the room.

"Well someone beat you to it," I mutter, grabbing a clean shirt, skirt, underwear and knee-highs. "Anyone seen my towel?" I call, eager to skip this conversation and head right into my shower.

"Who?" Lily asks. I don't respond, continuing my frantic search for a towel. She clears her throat, and I roll my eyes dramatically before looking up at her. She stole my towel! And is lording it over her head! "Answer the question and the towel is yours," she grins. I run through my options with furious speed.

"That's okay, I'll dry off by wand," I say quickly, grabbing my wand and rushing towards the bathroom. But Mary, who up until this point I'd assumed was asleep, bolts ahead of me and literally throws herself into the bathroom, locking the door behind her.

"Tell, and the bathroom's all yours!" she calls, her voice slightly muffled by the door.

"Ugh!" I fume. Then I mutter something nearly unintelligible.

"What was that? Louder, now," Lily grins, leaning in closer as if to hear me better.

"Sirius Black," I mutter, as if that would explain everything. And it does. Her eyes light up with understanding. "But not like that!" I yell quickly. "Nothing happened!" Two skeptical looks are shot my way, courtesy of Lily and Marlene, but Mary is just coming out of the bathroom, so I ignore them and run for my shower without further interruption.

*Dog Days Are Over*

I head down to breakfast by myself, one half of me hoping that the girls are still there, the other half hoping they've left. By the time I reach the Great Hall, I've already heard my name at least four times in different conversations, and I definitely wish the girls are there. I want to talk this out with them. Of course, now that I wished for it, they're not. So I settle for the next best thing: the Marauders (at least that's what they call themselves—I guess they are their own super-cool secret club). After a few minutes of _extremely _awkward silence, I finally decide to speak up.

"Sirius, can I talk to you for a second?"

"You just did," he replies smugly. Asshole. He knows what I mean. So I stand up and drag him by the collar out of the Great Hall (much to the amusement of James, I might add, who snorted pumpkin juice all over).

"I just wanted to thank you," I say, aware of the de ja vú I'm getting—I've been in this situation before. Oh right, like start of term? I thought I wasn't going to repeat that…

"You're welcome," he says smugly, opening his arms for a hug. I roll my eyes and give in to a comfortable and much less awkward (in comparison to our last one) hug. I think at some point we both become distinctly aware that neither wants to let go. But all good things have to end right? I slowly lift my head from where it had rested on his neck, and his eyes meet mine. Before I can comprehend what's happening, his lips are on mine, and we're kissing, barely around the corner from the Great Hall. Anyone could walk by and see us…

"Well it's a good thing I didn't send James to check on you," someone boldly interrupts. I quickly snap back, jerking around to see a very mischievous-looking Remus Lupin.

Shit.

How can I get him to keep this quiet?

****A/N: Dun dun dunnnnnnn… Aren't you proud of me? Two updates in two days? It's like a record or something! And we finally get to the Sirius/Liv romance. Thank **_**Merlin**_**. The sexual tension was making me crazy. Ah who am I kidding? The tension's not gone. Anyways, I think the next chapter will be from Sirius's point of view, so that will be fun. Right? But tell me: Did you like it? Was it worth the (one day) wait? Or, well, for those of you who have been waiting for a kiss for a long time, the significantly longer wait? Thanks to everyone who reviewed—love you all so much! Read on, young wizards! (And witches… and werewolves: I don't judge).****


	8. Chapter Seven: Stuck Still

Chapter Seven: Stuck Still

_Sirius_

_Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap, what if he does tell James?_ I think. I mean James will find out eventually, but he should probably hear it from me, right? And I don't even know if I have to tell him. This probably won't even turn into anything: Let's face it; I'm not exactly the best with relationships. And Ollie isn't so good herself. So I shouldn't worry, right? But I do. And so does she—at least that's what I gather from the way she runs after Moony, throwing her arm around him casually and trying to reason with him in a somewhat desperate tone that doesn't match her demeanor at all. I just kind of stand there lamely, pitifully wishing I could take Moony's place. Or that he hadn't interrupted us in the first place.

*Dog Days Are Over*

I have got to stop thinking. About her, about the kiss, everything. It's driving me crazy—I might be insane by the end of this week.

"Are you with us, Mr. Black?" Professor McGonagall snaps at me, effectively ending my train of thought.

"Yes, Professor," I reply stoically, without the typical sly remark or even a smirk. What's wrong with me?

"Good, then answer the question." I fight to keep a confused look off my face. Apparently, while I was thinking (a habit I really should bite) a question was posed—now to figure out what that question was…

"Well, Professor," I begin, completely winging it. Moony coughs a little from the seat next to me and adjusts a paper on his desk, then glancing at me meaningfully. I glance at the paper, which read, Evanesco_ is the most common spell for vanishing objects, though there are other, more refined spells that are more effective in certain situations,_ and mindlessly repeat the words written on it.

"Thank you, Mr. Lupin, for that entirely correct answer," McGonagall says, turning to the blackboard and scrawling some lengthy words that must be other vanishing spells. Remus tries to hide a grin as he shoots me a glance I take to mean _I tried_. Not hard enough, my dear Moony, not hard enough. Olivia lets out a small laugh, and I grin up at her in what I hope is a sheepish fashion, hardly noticing when miscellaneous objects are placed in front of me or when McGonagall says, "Begin." I don't think I've ever given one girl this much attention in my life…

*Dog Days Are Over*

"Siri-kins!" I try not to roll my eyes (but hey, I'm fighting a losing battle here) as that girl—Ashley? Allison? I think it starts with an A—practically skips over to me and jumps onto my lap.

Moony snorts pumpkin juice as James mutters, "Not that this is dinner or anything, the Great Hall is a perfect place for this." Oh James, always the sarcastic one. I'm trying as hard as I can not to make eye contact, which is particularly hard when the person is sitting on top of you. I sit there awkwardly as Whatever-her-name-is tries desperately to meet my eyes, leaning this way and that way, even running her fingers through my hair and trying to move my head to face hers.

"Sorry, whores make me lose my appetite," Olivia says rather loudly, standing up to leave. Lily, Mars, and Mary snicker but let her leave. Without even thinking, I'm chasing after her, hardly noticing my surroundings. Guess that's how I missed the fact that the girl on my lap ended up on the floor…

("It's okay Callie, he didn't mean it," Lily attempts to comfort the girl and hide a smile simultaneously. So Callie's her name… A and C are close... Whatever.)

"Liv," I call out as I reach the stone staircase. She spins on her heel one landing above me, her expression blank and unreadable. Compared to the icy glare I was expecting, blank is good right?

"What?" she spits, her tone matching her expression. I realize that I have no plan for this: I mean I wanted to catch up to her, to say something, but now that I'm here, what can I say? I falter. "It's just who you are, Sirius," she says, turning to walk up the next flight of stairs. "I won't make that my problem."

I stand there, completely dumbstruck, staring up at the space Olivia just left. Did I just get dumped by a girl I wasn't even dating?

*Dog Days Are Over*

"I don't get why she's even mad," Prongs says conversationally as he pulls on his pajamas. I don't respond, choosing instead to shoot Moony, who 'coincidentally' let out a chuckle, a warning glance before flopping into my bed fully clothed. Today had been entirely exhausting.

For some reason unbeknownst to me, I hadn't moved from my position at the bottom of the stairs until the end of dinner, when Lily appeared behind me and asked if I was okay. She was skeptical of my "Of course," but let it slide, as I hastily maneuvered my way over to James, Remus, and Peter who were conveniently about the farthest away from Lily as they could be. And before I knew it, my feet had carried me up a bunch of stairs, and we were in the dormitory having this conversation.

James hadn't missed Moony's slip up, shooting him a questioning glance but not actually saying anything. I was just glad Wormtail hadn't been listening, instead humming a tune as he bustled about folding his sheets back in an 'orderly' fashion (surprisingly OCD for a boy so slovenly), as he tended to ask blunt questions I could only assume would lead to Remus telling Prongs about Olivia and… well… me. Not that that was going anywhere.

*Dog Days Are Over*

Moony's been good about keeping my secret—I mean he's already had to keep his for so long, it's not like he hasn't had practice—but there have been no subtle hints, no laughs, no mention of Olivia whatsoever. Well at least from him. Not like Prongs, who mentions her constantly: Why is she ignoring you? What did you do to her? Thanks James, real faith in your best mate.

"What's her problem?" he broaches the topic again, after Olivia brushes past the two of us with only a quick hello to James and less than nothing to me. I roll my eyes and keep walking. "I know what happened," he says, "between you and her."

"I bet you do, Prongsie," I joke. He probably does. I don't care. I mean he's known me long enough to figure this stuff out…

"Yea, Moony told me." I stop in my tracks at this—so much for keeping my secret. James grins and continues, "So he does know! Don't worry, he didn't actually tell."

"Yea, well I don't care anymore. We kissed. Big deal. It's over and done with." I almost feel guilty for snapping at him, but he doesn't seem to care. He drops the topic.

****A/N: Sorry for the long wait: Writing for Sirius is ridiculously hard! Next chapter is back to Liv, so it should be up sooner 'cause it'll take me less time to write. I know this chapter might not live up to your immensely high expectations of me; my apologies to all. Review if you love me anyways! You might even get a sneak peek…****


	9. Chapter Eight: And From It She Fled

****A/N: Here it is! It's sort of long, so that's good. Just a warning, but there's some swearing in this chapter—I mean it wouldn't be the same without it so you just have to suffer through. Or not care at all. Oh and I included the days that the writing happens on because I time skip quite a bit in this chapter. Anyways, I'll see ya at the bottom!****

Chapter Eight: And From it She Fled

_Olivia_

_Monday_

"Sirius," I whisper as a soft giggle escapes my lips.

"Mhmm?" he murmurs and continues kissing my neck. So we're in a broom closet, skipping dinner to do whatever this is. Big deal. Don't bother asking how we actually got here, 'cause frankly I have no idea. Basically I apologized to Sirius, and about a week after that, I started getting little notes with just a place and time. So I went. And technically continue to go. I mean I'm in one of them now, right? But whatever my dumb masochistic body does, my head knows this has to stop. And not just for tonight.

"We have to get back," I whisper. His lips slowly part from my neck, and he lifts his head so that his stormy eyes are level with mine.

"If you say so," he smirks, kissing me once on my forehead. I climb out of the closet, brushing the dust of my clothes. I hear him close the squeaky door behind him, but I refuse to look at him. I don't think he realizes that I can't do this.

I start to walk down the corridor, expecting to hear his footsteps behind me. But I don't. Part of me wants to keep walking, to not look back, but of course that's not the part I listen to. I really only meant to look over my shoulder, but for some reason, I've entirely turned to face him.

He's just standing there, staring out the window at the full moon slowly rising over the twilit horizon, a blank expression on his face.

"Are you coming?" I ask softly, not wanting to break his concentration.

He shakes his head. "I think I might head down to the kitchens." Even though I skipped dinner with him, he doesn't offer for me to go with him, which bothers me. "Same time tomorrow?" he continues with a smirk.

I smile weakly as I nod and turn away. I know I won't go. Just like I know Sirius isn't really going to the kitchens. Because as I turn and walk down an adjacent corridor, I can see the picture of the fruit directly ahead of me. And I know he went the other way.

_Sirius_

_Wednesday_

She knows I lied. I knew it the moment I walked away and I know it now that she's avoiding me again. She doesn't understand: I had to help Moony. But if she wants to think I'm some insufferable liar who would stalk off to snog someone else after I'd finished with her, fine. Just because she knows Moony's secret, doesn't mean she can know mine.

"Shit," I mutter, as the tip of my quill breaks for the millionth time today. I don't understand why I'm even taking notes; why am I not asleep? I mean History of Magic? Come on. This might be the first time I've stayed awake in all seven years here.

"Here," Moony prods me with a spare quill, an odd smile on his face—he's probably happy that someone else is taking notes for once. I make a face as I snatch the quill and resume scribbling. Notes are a whole lot better than thinking about her right now.

*Dog Days Are Over*

I walk down to dinner late. I don't exactly have a reason why, or at least not one I can tell Olivia. Not that I plan on talking to her. If she's bent on thinking I'm a whore, then fuck it, I'll become one. Return to being one. Whatever. I'm tempted to sit as far away from her as possible, but that means leaving behind the Marauders. And not even she can make me do that. So I eat my dinner quietly, enduring strange looks from everyone. I have no desire to explain anything: Not my mood, not my silence, not why Olivia left early. I'm sure I'll end up doing that the instant I'm in the dormitory anyways.

*Dog Days Are Over*

"So what's wrong, mate?" Prongs asks the minute we're upstairs and _Muffliato_ has been cast. Moony pretends to get ready for bed, but I know he's listening. Peter doesn't even hide the fact that he wants to know: He sits down cross-legged on his bed and watches me with massive eyes.

I flop down on my bed and roll my eyes in response, but I know there's no way of getting out of this.

"Come on, we all know you're in a mood," Prongs continues. "Is it a girl?" he prods after a few seconds of my continued silence. I just stare at the ceiling. "Is it Olivia?"

I try to remain complacent, but I'm sure I turn a lovely shade of scarlet. My brows knit together in a scowl. The ceiling seems to return my death glare.

"Don't let her get to you, mate. We don't know what her deal is." _I do._ "She has no right to be mad." _Says you. Maybe to her she does._ "We're still here for you." _Okay, point for James, there._ "And remember, bros before—" Prongs stops mid-sentence, and I know Moony sent him a warning glance. At least he was smart enough to stop.

"It's fine, James; I'm fine," I say in the most unconvincing voice possible.

"Good," Prongs says cheerily, intentionally not picking up on the negative tone in my voice, "because the first Quidditch match is Friday, and I need my Beater. Not to mention the after party would suck without you." Shit. Two things I forgot about completely.

I let out a laugh anyway. Leave it to Prongs to switch the topic to Quidditch the instant my problem seems to be over with. "You're right, any party would suck without me," I smirk cockily.

"That's the Padfoot we know and love," Moony chimes in somewhat sarcastically.

I roll over in my bed, not caring that I'm still fully clothed. All I can think about is sleep. And how brilliant my friends are. Any one of them is worth more than a million girls.

_Olivia_

_Friday_

"Mary," I whine again, trying not to let the hot iron touch me. "Maaaaarrrrrryyyyyyyyyyy."

"Stop it, I'm almost done," she scolds.

"You know that doesn't work when you're half laughing," I add.

"The more we talk, the slower I go and the more of the match you miss," Mary threatens. Damn. I hate when she uses logic. I also hate the fact that she's making miss part of the Quidditch match so she could curl my hair for the after party. Who needs curled hair? I hardly even brush mine. And the next best thing to playing Quidditch is watching it, and since I kind of suck—well, let's just say watching is _great._

So I sit somewhat patiently, drumming my fingers on the underside of my seat, literally counting the seconds until she finishes.

"There, done," she says, pulling the iron away. As she does that, I have an idea that makes me want to strangle her: Why didn't she just use a hair curling spell or something?

I spin around and yell this at her.

"I like going through the motions! Just think of it as a project or something for Muggle Studies," she supplies. My eyes flare dangerously, but she quickly yells, "Quidditch!" and I remember my priorities. I sprint out of the dorm and down to the pitch, with Mary shouting behind me, "Don't run, you'll mess up your hair!"

*Dog Days Are Over*

The match was easily the best part of the night, considering it was the only part I actually remember. Gryffindor won (How could they not? The match was against Hufflepuff) and I made ten galleons off a bet with a stupid Ravenclaw. After that, I went to the party, where I quickly became drunk out of my mind. I hope I didn't do anything embarrassing.

_Sirius_

_Friday_

Of course she's here. Why wouldn't she be? She's celebrating just like the rest of Gryffindor House. I don't think she even knows I'm here, though. She's about as fucked up as she can get. I mean she's wearing the Gryffindor banner around her neck like a cape as she jumps from couch to couch. I guess I can't help but laugh—she's hard to be mad at when she's acting like she's five. Actually she's hard to be mad at period. I guess she's just different like that.

I guess James was wrong about it not being a party without me—I'm here, but I'm not even doing anything. I haven't even had a sip of Firewhiskey. Yes, you heard that correctly: Sirius Black is at a party as sober as he can be. Someone write it down—I guarantee this won't happen again.

*Dog Days Are Over*

I don't think I left the couch throughout the entire party. After what I figured was her fifth shot of Firewhiskey, Olivia was placed beside me by a stern looking Lily. "Do NOT let her drink anymore," were my instructions (which Olivia found hilarious and promptly responded, "I'm not drunk, just happy!")

The party quieted down soon after that. Just a few stray couples remained kissing in the surrounding chairs—no one stayed to clean up. The common room lay in shambles. Olivia seemed less giddy, but I could tell she was still drunk as hell when she lifted my arm and snuggled herself against me, her head resting on my chest.

"I thought you were mad at me," I muttered into her messy hair.

"Not mad," she slurred dreamily, "I jus' didn' wan' you to leave me." I don't think she realized what her words meant, but I felt my eyes widen as she promptly dropped off to sleep.

I finally managed to help Marlene levitate a sleeping Liv up to the girls' dormitories; I mean I wasn't going to leave her there. We all know how she and sleep get along. But even if she won't remember any of this tomorrow, I'm done being mad at her. Because for some reason, she's not like a million other girls.

****A/N: All DONE! Well for this chapter. Certainly not for the story. We've still got a long way to go—thirteen chapters and an epilogue! WOOO! So review if you loved it and want more! Sorry again that it was kinda late… Love you all!****


	10. Chapter Nine: Killed It With Kisses

Chapter Nine: Killed it with Kisses

_Olivia_

Whatever I did at that party has gone to his head. I swear. Last I checked, he was avoiding me just as much as I was avoiding him (which was similar to how you would avoid a plague, believe me). Now he acts like we're back to being friends? Whatever I said to him must have been way out there. At least that's what I assume. Everyone refuses to tell me, so I guess I'll never know for sure (yea, that sounds likely). Mary keeps slipping up, threatening to spill bits of information that could essentially be quite valuable to me, but Lily's always there to stop her from going too far. And she won't talk if I press her.

But since when have I ever been good at waiting patiently? There was this one time, when this guy—ah, never mind. You probably shouldn't hear that story anyways. Need to know basis, right? Anyhow, Lily has been watching Mary and me like a hawk from Saturday morning through breakfast today, so you can probably figure how much information I've gotten in the past few days.

"Olivia," Lily whispers harshly while poking me with her quill.

_What?_ I mouth, slightly annoyed as I snap back to attention. History of Magic is not a class I enjoy being disturbed in. It's my thinking/sleeping/catching-up-on-homework-I-forgot-to-do class.

"You dropped this," she says, handing me a crumpled piece of parchment.

I stare disdainfully down at it, making a face I'm sure was quite pleasant. "Not mine," I shrug. She returns the gesture and tosses the paper on the floor.

Books are suddenly slammed shut and shoved in waiting knapsacks, signaling the end of class. I jump up, eager to get to Divination, which happens to be the only class on my time-table without Lily in it. Not that I don't love her to death. She just makes getting answers hard.

After getting stuck in a trick stair I forgot to jump, getting some third year to help get me out (not as mean as it sounds— he offered!), and just generally sprinting up to the seventh floor, I arrive at the ladder to the classroom ten minutes late, sweating like some kind of monster. Odd glances (which I assure you I am rather accustomed to by now) are thrown my way as I burst through the trapdoor panting.

The ancient teacher (and self proclaimed Seer), Professor Dillwits (who with a name like that easily earned the nicknames Dumb-wit and Dull-wit), doesn't acknowledge my late arrival; he simply informs us that it's time to grab a crystal ball (though he doesn't use those exact words, and his voice is more of a whisper anyways).

I hurry over to the table where Mary has already returned with a crystal ball. She casts me a half nervous, half suspicious glance as I seat myself, even though I've sat here every class since third year. Dillwits tells us to begin, though what we're beginning I'm not really sure. So the bullshit begins: Mary and I demonstrate our well-practiced 'in-the-Beyond' look and begin making up things we 'see' in the crystal ball. This is the only reason we've passed this stupid class since third year—and the only reason we're Dillwits's favorites. If he ever figures out we're faking, he'll probably die of shock or broken heart or something.

I allow the class to pass like every other, meaning I don't pester Mary about the party. I mean I want to know what happened, but there's a time and place for this kind of thing. Like an empty corridor directly after Divination, which we happen to wander into by 'accident.'

"So was Friday really that awful?" I ask with a grin. I figure that a joking approach is better than a threatening one—for now at least.

Mary cracks a smile and replies, "Well I wouldn't have wanted to be you."

"Oh Merlin, what did I do?" I shake my head.

She chuckles a bit before saying, "You sort of—ha ha—tied the—ha—Gryffindor banner around your neck and—ha ha ha—jumped from couch to couch," she finishes with a fit of giggles. My eyebrows go up and my eyes get big; I really did that? Wow, I am stupider than I thought.

"As entertaining as that is," I continue, wanting to get to the good part (meaning whatever I said to a certain, uh, fellow? Oh you know who I mean), "what did I say to…" I trail off, and we walk for a second in silence.

The smile has dropped off her face now, like this secret is more important than me playing superhero. I can tell she's trying to decide between telling me and facing the wrath of Lily and not telling me and facing the wrath of me. She stops walking, and as I turn to face her, she says, "I don't know, Liv, why don't you ask him yourself?"

I spin around to face the space she had been staring at over my shoulder: Sure enough, he's there, waiting. He seems to have been expecting me to arrive there, but he's genuinely surprised at Mary's presence.

"I told you to come alone," he nearly growls at me. I glance at Mary, who looks just as confused as I do.

"You didn't tell me to come here at all," I snap. This time he's the one with the confused expression as he searches for words to reply to that obviously unexpected statement. But I don't stay around to hear them—I back up from the now volatile Sirius Black, finally turning and running down an adjacent corridor.

I don't know if Mary is following me, but I don't turn around to check. I just keep running for Arithmancy, my only class without the both of them, the whole time thinking about what was on that paper Lily thought was mine.

*Dog Days Are Over*

"How much did Mary tell you?" Lily prompts as soon as I walk into the classroom.

"Just about the couch hopping," I say, the thought of me doing that instantly brightening my mood.

"Impressive," she responds. "I was expecting you to come in here with a full account of everything that went down."

"Well I might have, had Black not shown up," I reply with a shrug, throwing my bag down next to me as I sit next to Lily. Yes, I'm back to calling him Black. I was already distancing myself from him when he flipped out at me, so in my eyes he no longer deserves the title of 'Sirius.'

Lily sighs. "So how much did he tell you?" She knows full well that Mary would have referred me to him rather than take the fall herself.

"Nothing," I say with a shake of my head. "He was kind of pissed. Not that I'll go to him for answers again. We're done," I finish definitively, the last sentence a definite allegory.

"We'll see," she responds cryptically, turning to face the front of the room as class begins.

"But Lily," I whisper harshly. "Why can't I know what happened? I mean, I said it."

She smiles almost apologetically. "I just didn't want you doing anything stupid." I almost laugh out loud as I think, _Too late._

*Dog Days Are Over*

"Olivia, wait." I don't bother stopping. "Liv, I'm sorry! Just wait!"

I spin around to meet the familiar voice I've been trying so hard to run away from. "For what, Sirius? For you to get bored of me like every other stupid whore at this school? To be snarled at like I've actually done something wrong?"

"You're not every other stupid whore," he says softly, grinning, but I'm just getting started.

"Like hell I'm not. I'm smart enough to walk away," I spit, turning on my heel to storm down the opposite corridor.

"And blind enough to overlook that I'd never hurt you like that," he calls out. I stop in my tracks but don't bother turning around.

"And how many times have you used that line?" I shout over my shoulder. I'm not sure what I should expect with this question—silence? The words "A few" to rise guiltily from his mouth?

"Once. Right now." All I know is that those words aren't what I expected at all. I glance down at my feet, giving up entirely in this fight. Suddenly, his arms are around me, his voice is whispering in my ear. "Go out with me. For real, like as a couple. As my girlfriend." I turn my head away from his face, not sure how to respond. Is this what normally happens after a fight? "It's okay," he says, backing away. "You can say no if you want."

I smile to myself. I guess this means I don't have a choice—I have to say yes.

"I don't see a reason to," I say seductively, glancing up at him from under my eyelashes.

He recoils sharply. "Oh, okay."

Shit, I didn't mean for it to come across like that! "I meant say no! I don't see a reason to say no!" I shout, trying to cover my mistake, but he still looks hopelessly puzzled.

"So what exactly does this mean?" he says slowly, as if I'm the one with the understanding issue.

"It means you need to get your sorry arse over here and kiss your girlfriend," I reply snarkily, smirking with satisfaction. He grins broadly and obliges.

Damn, we're a cute couple.

****A/N: I know, I know. I've been crappy. I was busy, then didn't have internet, then couldn't think of what I wanted to happen in the middle of this chapter. So don't kill me, please. I won't ask for too much on this one, just a pass from a (deserved and possibly painful) death. I STILL LOVE YOU!****


	11. Chapter Ten: What Was Left After That

Chapter Ten: What Was Left After That

_Olivia_

So maybe we haven't gone public. Well it's not that people don't know, I mean Mary and Mars know, along with Remus and Peter, but I'm pretty sure James is in the dark (for reasons I'm completely unsure of: I mean those two are like brothers), and I'm getting revenge on Lily for withholding valuable information from me yesterday. But she has her suspicions. Lily's not stupid: I think she even figured out why I haven't told her. But it's not like I'm going to tell her and spoil my fun… If one can even call it that. And it's not that any of this even matters so much—now that Sirius and I are… _together_… everything just seems better: sweeter, less awkward, easier, _better._ Thinking of him makes me want to smile…

"You alright, Liv?" Lily asks from her seat next to me in the Great Hall. I snap out of my thoughts and realize that I have been staring at my breakfast without eating it (something quite uncharacteristic of me—usually if there's food in front of me, it's gone within the minute) for the past five minutes. I probably look possessed or something.

"Wha—Oh yea, fine," is my response. Lily cocks her eyebrow.

"Not thinking about someone, are we?" she says with a smirk.

"Like who?" I respond, playing dumb.

"A boy, maybe?"

"Oh really, Lils, who _else?_ Of course it'd be a boy— you should know that by now," I retort sarcastically, a grin on my face.

"Hmm, want me to guess?" she banters.

"No, that's perfectly okay," I say with just a little too much haste.

" 'Cause you know I'd be right," she says, dropping her voice and standing up. "You coming, Liv? I'm gonna head to Arithmancy a little early."

"Sure," I respond, shoving toast piled high with eggs into my mouth and standing to follow after Lily.

"Cute," Sirius says in my ear having just snuck up behind me.

"It's why you love me," I tease lightly through my mouth full of food, shrugging my shoulders. I'm sure it sounded more like " 'S fye ooo yuff me."

"You know it," he winks as I jog after Lily, who has already exited the Great Hall. I catch up with her, and we walk to class together in silence, Lily smirking the whole way there.

*Dog Days Are Over*

"I'm disappointed in you, Miss Garrott," McGonagall says as she hands me my most recent test, a D written prominently in red ink. I slouch down lower in my seat trying to think of why my usually above average Transfiguration had taken a turn for the worst. Let's see—last Transfiguration exam? Nope, don't remember taking it. That could be my problem right there.

"Looks like you need help," Sirius whispers in my ear, tilting his own paper just so I can see the O written on it.

"Well if you're offering," I say sarcastically with an overdramatic eye roll.

"As a matter of fact I was," he smirks.

"I don't need help, Sirius," I groan, trying hard not to let him get on my nerves. He just raises his eyebrows.

"I don't even need to explain the degree of untruth in that statement," he responds, eyebrows still raised. "And I'm glad to know you can tell when you're being hit on." At this, my eyebrows go up, causing him to roll his eyes. "When have _I_ ever studied?" As a response, I squint and stick my tongue out.

*Dog Days Are Over*

"What are you doing?" Lily asks me, taking her place next to me in the Great Hall for lunch.

"Studying," I respond without looking up, then shoving half of a sandwich into my mouth. Even with my head buried in my textbook, I can tell Mary's eyes are wide, and that spraying sound was Marlene spitting her pumpkin juice.

"I just assumed she was reading or something!" Marlene exclaims with hilarity.

"Chill, Lene, it's just studying," I say, finally looking up.

"Yea, but Liv, you never study. Like ever. And you still do so much better than me," Mary chimes in, sounding slightly envious.

"Untrue, Mare. You're like straight O's while I'm more straight E's with some O's and some A's. And I study for exams and stuff," I say somewhat indignant.

"Studying is a great habit—" Lily starts before being cut off.

"If you're failing Transfiguration," Sirius puts in, popping up from nowhere. I shoot him a dirty look.

"One test, Sirius, not the whole course," I snap, immediately regretting sounding mean. He doesn't seem fazed and just keeps talking.

"Which is why I've volunteered to teach her the material on said test," he says, sounding like quite the altruist.

"You're such a saint," I roll my eyes as I speak.

"I know, it's why you love me," he says, not bothering to lower his voice at all. Lily doesn't seem surprised at all, while Mary and Mars just smirk and stare at their plates.

"Fine, you can help me learn this stuff. Then once I'm doing well again, no more studying."

"There's the Liv we know and love," Mary says with a subtle eye roll. "Teach me how to not study?" I just smile and shake my head—my friends and I are all insane. And yes, I do include myself in that. I'm not kidding anyone.

*Dog Days Are Over*

"So basically you don't always have to use _Evanesco_ to vanish something," Sirius finishes, the section we had been studying finally complete. I hate to admit it, but for someone who has no experience studying, he's an AMAZING tutor. I mean I actually understand the theory behind the use—ah never mind. You really don't care, do you? "So that's pretty much it," he trails off and leans back against the chair.

"Thank Merlin," I sigh. "That was excruciating."

"It wasn't bad," he smirks, "because I'm a good tutor and you know it." He leans in for a kiss, but I stop him.

"Not here, we're in the common room," I say, half regretting the words that come out of my mouth.

"It's midnight—there's no one even in here, and James and Lily are on rounds anyway. They have no reason to come back here with those head dorms of theirs," he reasons with me. I have to admit: his points are all entirely valid. I concede and allow his lips to meet mine. Time slows, and seconds seem like years.

"What are you two doing?" James's voice causes Sirius and me to snap apart. Shit! How did neither of us hear him come in?

"We were going to ask you the same thing," Sirius responds quickly, and for the first time, I realize that Lily is with James, her arm still looped through his.

"I asked first," James says, his brow cocked. Well, James, glad to see you matured past age five. Sirius glances at me as if I'm the one who had a problem telling James and… suddenly it dawns on me that Sirius didn't tell James because he knew Lily would find out immediately. Quite impressed at… _my boyfriend's_ good thinking, I nod—we both know we can't hide this any longer.

"Well usually, when two people are dating, they tend to spend time together, doing things." James's jaw drops and Sirius just smirks.

"Like snogging," I distinctly hear Lily mutter under her breath. I shoot her a look and she smiles sheepishly.

"Your turn," Sirius continues cheerfully.

"Well, uh," James stammers, "Lily and I aren't dating—"

"Got that right," she mutters again.

"—just doing patrols, and Lily forgot her Charms book in the common room," James finishes hurriedly. It's the little things like patrols that make me infinitely glad I'm not Head Girl. And I'm sure there was a _ton_ of patrolling going on anyway.

"As for dating," I smirk at James, "give it time, hun," I lean over and pat him on the arm. His face rather resembles a kid at Christmas, and he begins glancing at Lily, who merely gapes in shock, with eager eyes. We all know what's bound to happen next, so I prepare to make an abrupt exit. "Night," I say to everyone, turning to Sirius to give him a quick peck before turning and heading upstairs.

"Lily, will you go—" I hear from James before being cut off by Lily.

"Not gonna happen, Potter." But she didn't flip out or yell, and I can hear the trace of fondness in her voice as she lets him down gently (by her standards).

****A/N: Prompt! Yay! I deserve a prize—or at least a review. Yea that will suffice. I know this chapter doesn't exactly have much going on, and the tutoring thing is SO clichéd, but I had to, you know? I couldn't resist. And I needed to get this chapter over with so we could get into the drama of the next few chapters. Which you should all be excited for. SO BE EXCITED. Shout-out to my lovely reviewers Ivori, Nelle07, Hellfire Putten Ninja, Crazily Obsessed, essence of your spark, Rani Jashalithie, and Night Hawk 97, with EXTRA special thanks to HPN, CO, eoys, and RJ for the constant support. This story wouldn't be the same without you! Okay, now that I've sufficiently bored you to tears with my extensive note, I think I can pull this conversation to a close (that is if you've even bothered to read this far). iHasta luego, y leerén creo!**


	12. Chapter Eleven: Sank With a Drink

Chapter Eleven: Sank With a Drink

_Olivia_

So I was right. It's definitely worth dating Sirius Black simply to see the girls at this school act like morons. Officially going public was possibly one of the most entertaining moments of my life. Basically all we had to do was walk into the Great Hall arm in arm, and within seconds, rumors, whispers, and even some shouts and whistles erupted. I'm pretty sure one of the whistles was that stupid Ravenclaw (yea, remember him? The one that didn't believe me before about Sirius and me?), and I'm rather positive that one of the shouts was one of the Whores (I don't remember their numbers anymore), yelling, "Geez, they're only friends! Why can't you people just accept that?"

Under normal circumstances, I would've been impressed, maybe even congratulated her or something. But I was dating Sirius Black— circumstances were in no way normal. So I did what I thought would piss her off most: I turned and kissed Sirius full on the mouth. Cue whistles (again), laughter (in mocking of Whore # I don't care), and even "You get it, girl!" from the familiar voice of Marlene McKinnon. I must admit, that girl has grown on me.

And that's the incredibly romantic story of how we went public. _Oh tell it again, Liv?_ Oh really? Encore? Okay. So I was right… Oh you were kidding? That's okay, I'll just return to my breakfast in peace. Or what should be peace. Apparently this morning's display is bigger news that I thought, and the dimwitted people who didn't see this coming keep coming up to us and asking us questions that they really shouldn't care about. It's alright. I only need to bear a few more days of this before they all leave for Christmas. Which I will spend at Hogwarts. Like I have every year (I mean my foster home isn't exactly much to go back to—screaming kids that don't like me, parents who merely "deal"—I'd rather stay where I know I'm loved, thank you). And Lily will spend it with me, like she does every year. And because Lily's staying, Potter will be too, like he has every year simply to be with Lily. And because Potter's staying, Sirius is also, like he has since he moved in with James. So basically the only ones leaving are Mary, Mars, Peter (thank Merlin: that child gives me that annoying… five year old vibe, you know?), and… I actually don't know about Remus.

"So Remus, are you staying at Hogwarts for Christmas?" I ask conversationally.

"Mhmm," he grunts through a mouthful of food before swallowing and continuing on. "I wouldn't miss the annual snow ball fight for anything," he grins. Oh yea, that snowball fight: The yearly event that I always join before realizing that I can't throw to save my life, and it eventually turns into everyone-throw-snowballs-at-Olivia-no-matter-what-team-you're-on-because-she-sucks-at-these-things.

"Yea, maybe if we're lucky Liv won't be on our team this year," Sirius muses from his place next to me.

I punch him hard. "You're supposed to say, 'Oh Liv, I need to have you on my team or else I'll die!'" I say dramatically. Lily laughs from the seat on my other side.

Sirius looks playfully shocked. "Is that not what I said, Prongs?"

"That's how I heard it, Padfoot," James smirks. He's sitting across the table, so he's a little out of my punching reach. Fortunately for me, Remus gets the hint I send by miming punching James and does the dirty work for me.

"Ow! Moony?" James yells through a strange laughing noise.

"Sorry, mate," he says as he stands to leave. "You're welcome," he grins at me.

"Thank you, Remus," Lily and I chorus together.

"I'm deeply hurt," James mock-pouts at Lily, standing to follow Remus's lead.

"Yet somehow you'll carry on," Lily replies, picking up on the drastically overdramatic tone this conversation has taken.

"Not without you," James winks in an attempt to be suave.

"Ew, cheesy," I say in pseudo-disgust. And that's when Lily looks down… and blushes.

*Dog Days Are Over*

Ah, what a nice feeling to wake up to a quiet dorm without having to listen to Mary and Marlene fighting over who gets the first shower. Wonder why that is. Oh right, BECAUSE IT'S CHRISTMAS! Well Christmas Eve. Same thing, right? It really doesn't matter, because I intend to distribute all of my Christmas gifts today. I like to be the first, okay? Now let's see… eleven o'clock? Yup Sirius should still be asleep, meaning it's a perfect opportunity to wake him up and give him my gift. Well after I shower and spend time attempting to make myself look somewhat attractive. Where's Mary when you need her?

After throwing on a Christmas-y jumper (it's not awful, it's actually nice for a festive outfit) and a tight but maybe a liiiiiittle too short skirt, I pass my own low standards of fashion and race downstairs. I'm completely prepared to race up to the boy's dorms (and no one will care that I'm up there because they all left! HA)—at least until I realize that I left Sirius's gift on my bed. I debate leaving it there and waking him up for no reason….. Yea maybe I'll do that! I'm too lazy to walk up all those stairs.

I creep quite stealthily up the stairs to the dormitories, slowly turning the knob of the door with _Marauders_ etched into the wood. Cool, guys. I'm entirely prepared to jump onto Sirius's bed and start yelling, when I realize his bed clothes are thrown entirely off his bed and he's not in it. Awkward. I meander around the room, debating whether or not it'd be weird to wait here. Indecisive, I plop down of Peter's nicely made bed and here the crunch of parchment from under me.

Slightly annoyed, I tuck my hand under the top layer of blankets and begin feeling around for the parchment. Grasping the very folded (and now very crumpled) sheet, I retract my hand and reveal a partially unfurled map… of something that looks rather like Hogwarts. I glance over it, stopping short when I see something strange: A dot marked with my name. On the map. In the boys' dormitories. Whoa, this thing tells you where people are too? I scan it quickly for Sirius, who's in the kitchens (no surprises there), and for Lily, who I see is in her Head dorms. She's not alone though—James's with her. And their dots are way too close for way too long.

I abandon the map and race to find someone to tell.

*Dog Days Are Over*

I didn't end up telling anyone. I figured that maybe if they wanted people to know, they would've told already.

"Hey," Lily says, sitting down beside me for dinner. I just smile knowingly at her. "What?" she asks, plainly confused. I don't say anything.

"Prongs!" Sirius shouts. "Where have you been? I haven't seen you all day!"

"Snogging Lily," I mutter, though I'm pretty sure no one heard.

"Geez, Padfoot, one day. It's been so long," James says sarcastically, sitting down next to Lily, who doesn't protest. I laugh lightly. Lily's now staring at me. Maybe she did hear me. I decide to provoke the situation _just_ a little.

"Whoa, you two sitting together and no food has been thrown? What did you do? Call a truce?" I joke, knowing full well it probably isn't a joke.

"Yes," Lily says seriously. Sirius spits his pumpkin juice.

"Why? You hate Prongs," Sirius spews.

"Well usually, when two people are dating, they try not to hate each other," James smirks. Sirius spits pumpkin juice again (because the moron was dumb enough to take a second sip).

Good. Now I don't have to worry about telling anyone.

****A/N: Another one done! Only two more left… sniff. Sorry this took so long—I know, I'm a crappy person. Don't hate me though! I STILL LOVE YOU!****


	13. Chapter Twelve: With Every Bubble

Chapter Twelve: With Every Bubble

_Olivia_

I really shouldn't be surprised that the Marauders (minus Peter) planned a New Year's party. I mean they already snuck the Firewhiskey in and everything, even 'covertly' distributing invitations (they're actually really pretty—they're little paper butterflies that say _New Year's party in the Gryffindor common room; see Sirius Black for details_ written along the wings—you can tell they're geared more towards the girls) to almost everyone left at Hogwarts above fourth year and outside of Slytherin House. I don't know how they plan to get all those people into the Gryffindor common room, especially considering THEY'RE NOT GRYFFINDORS. And if they leave the party and want to get back in? I'm not giving them the password… But that's what they're doing now: setting up the common room and finishing up with invites. And that's why I'm wandering the castle to avoid work.

"Hey Liv," Remus calls.

"Hey Remus," I meander over to him. "What brings you to an abandoned corridor?"

"Business as usual," he responds, running his hand nervously through his usually neat hair. In his other hand I notice a small struggling butterfly, being crushed in his tight grasp. "I'm just going to head back, help set up some more," he finishes quickly, turning to leave.

"Remus," I raise my eyebrows.

"Yea?" He doesn't even stop walking, but rather just turns around and continues going backwards.

"What's that in your hand?"

"Hm?" he chokes out awkwardly.

"In your hand," I say slower. I rush at him, catching him off guard, and pry his hand open, freeing the now limp butterfly. I smile victoriously. "Who were you planning on asking?" I say wryly.

"N-no one," he stammers.

"Remus," I raise my eyebrows again.

He sighs and mumbles something.

"What was that?" I smirk.

"Victoria Welling," he mumbles only slightly more clearly.

"The Ravenclaw?" I grin. "The one who's been eyeing you for weeks?"

He blushes and says quickly something like "Shehasnotbeeneyeingme." I roll my eyes. "That's what this party is all about, you know," he says more distinctly.

"What?" I ask, confused.

"Sirius is throwing this party as an excuse for me to find a girlfriend," Remus says as though it were obvious.

"Ah, I'm not surprised. I noticed more girls seemed to be invited than guys."

He nods. "Well I'm just gonna go now," he points over his shoulder and starts walking again.

"Not so fast," I say, grabbing his arm and pulling him in the opposite direction. "Ravenclaw Tower is this way."

"No, I don't—I'm not going—I want to help—I'm not asking—" Remus protests as I drag him (with much difficulty I might add) down the corridor. As I'm attempting to drag Remus past the library, he grabs the door frame of the double doors with one hand, effectively reversing my forward momentum, spinning me around jerking me back towards him and the door, where the door now facing me is closed. And because I don't have the common sense to let go of his wrist, I collide with the corner of the closed door, smashing my face against the wood and falling backwards. "Oh, shit! Liv, I'm so sorry!" Remus shouts.

"Shhh! No yelling in the library!" some angry librarian (I don't know her name—I never study anyways) whisper-shouts.

"Ohmigosh!" a girl says extremely fast as she rushes towards Remus and me. "Olivia, are you okay?"

_What the fuck? How does this random girl know my name?_ I think.

"Liv, it's me, Tori. You know, Potions partners OWL year?" she responds.

_Shit I said that out loud?_

"Yea, you did," she says. "You really don't remember me?" she asks, sounding hurt. I let my head stop spinning, and I squint at the face leaning down over me.

_Tori, Potions partner, fifth year. _My thought process is slower than usual as I try to think out this situation. _OH! NO WAY! THE VICTORIA WELLING WE'RE LOOKING FOR? _I sit up quickly in my excitement (which is a bad idea) and feel my head spin.

"You were looking for me?" she asks, content now that she's not forgotten.

"Yea, Remus was. And why am I saying everything out loud?" I speak willingly for the first time in the past five minutes.

"I don't know, head trauma?" she supplies. I shrug, sizing her up now that my head's done spinning. I'm not surprised in the slightest that I didn't recognize her—Victoria looks so much different from fifth year. Her mahogany hair has grown out considerably and now falls in soft curls just below her shoulders. Her previously over-large teeth were now perfectly white and lay in perfect alignment, and her makeup was done so her hazel eyes shone brightly. All in all, she looked… gorgeous. Not to mention she introduced herself as Tori—I'd always called her Victoria. I glance at Remus, realizing now why he wanted to ask her. Not surprisingly, he's gone rather quiet.

Remembering why we're here in the first place, I prompt, "So Remus, you had something to ask Victoria?"

"It's Tori," she corrects.

Remus shoots me a half-annoyed, half-pleading glance before taking the now entirely smashed butterfly from my outstretched hand and attempting to smooth it out. "Uh, did you want to go to the New Year's party?" He ends there, so I hit him. "With me," he adds.

"Sure!" she says. "Um, yea, I'll go." She tries to play it cool, but I can tell she's freaking out on the inside.

"Okay! Well, I'll just leave you two then," I say, standing up quickly to go. I sway dangerously for a second, then catch the door and manage to walk a few steps before stumbling. Catching myself again, I call, "I'm okay!" and then "See you at the party!" But I'm pretty sure they've already forgotten me.

*Dog Days Are Over*

Sirius whistles as I walk down the stairs from the dormitory. I smile and raise my eyebrows at Lily, who is following me down the stairs; it was her idea to raid Mary's closet and borrow the most ridiculous dresses we could find. Lily's is short, tight, and navy blue, with a high neckline and cute little cap sleeves. She stole gold pumps from Marlene, and she basically looks gorgeous. That explains why James is drooling. Mine is slightly more… promiscuous? Strapless, tight, and all black. It's simple, but it looks killer with red heels from Mary (she'll probably kill us for borrowing her clothes, but what she doesn't know won't hurt her).

The common room isn't packed yet, but some people have started coming in through the portrait hole, which has been propped open with an armchair, and the party is definitely picking up. Clocks are floating around the room, knocking into people and screaming the current time: ten-fifteen.

"You look great, Liv," Sirius comments as I take his arm.

"As do you," I respond with mock sophistication. "Ooo give me one," I say, grabbing a cocktail off a tray carried by a Gryffindor fourth year. "So that's what you did with the lower classmen."

"Only the fourth years who begged for invites," Sirius says, sounding entirely justified. I roll my eyes and chug the contents of my glass.

"Liv!" Victoria rushes at me, having just gotten to the party. "Oh, you look sooo pretty! Come on, let's dance!"

"Uh, didn't you just get here? Where's Remus?" I say, not wanting to a) reconnect with a semi-friend from fifth year and b) be separated from Sirius. I glance at him, but he's no help: he just gestures for me to go with her.

"Oh he's just off somewhere. I'll see him later," she replies with a flick of her hand.

"I'll be fine, Liv," he whispers to me. Not about you, Sirius, not about you. I let out a sigh and allow myself to be dragged to the center of the room, where the rug has been rolled away and the hard wood now serves as a dance floor.

*Dog Days Are Over*

_Sirius_

I watch as Liv makes her way to the dance floor, regretting my decision to let her go more and more. Girls keep coming up to me and flirting. The words "I have a girlfriend!" apparently don't mean anything anymore…

"So Sirius," some girl is saying to me.

"What? Who are you?" I snap, irritated. She backs up, apologizing, and turns and scampers away.

"Relax a little, Padfoot," Moony says as he walks up beside me.

"Merlin, Moony, normally it's me saying that to you."

"I know," he grins. "So did you really not know that girl?"

"Should I have?" I ask blandly.

"Well she was your first kiss, if that means anything to you," he chuckles.

"Oh," I make a face.

"Well maybe it isn't your first kiss that matters, but your last one," Moony says, sounding like a freaking philosopher. Just then the clocks floating around the room start counting down loudly from ten.

"Speaking of kisses," I smirk, running off to find Olivia.

I reach her just as the clocks reach 'THREE!' and spin her around. Then I dip her, almost like a dance move, and kiss her. Quite romantic, if I do say so myself. Then the clocks reach 'ONE!' and they all shout in unison, "HAPPY TEN-THIRTY!" Liv pulls away and laughs out loud.

"I thought it was midnight!" she exclaims.

"Merlin, what charm did Remus use?" I ask rhetorically.

She laughs again and says, "Happy ten-thirty, Sirius."

****A/N: Happy Almost-Christmas! And happy holidays for everyone who doesn't celebrate it! Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed—you guys are amazing! Love to all you who have kept with this story; it really means a lot to me. Stick around 'til the end (I mean you've already come this far…) and review if you love Christmas (or holiday) cookies! (Or if you just love the story… You can review for that too…)****


	14. Chapter Thirteen: Dog Days Are Over

Chapter Thirteen: Dog Days Are Over

_Olivia_

"Come on, Liv, get up," a voice chides from my previously silent dorm. I groan and roll over. "Get up!" The owner of the voice is shaking me now. "Don't make me use _Aguamenti_." At this, I sit up frantically. I have no desire to become soaking wet.

"I'm up! I'm up!" I cry, hoping that that's enough to prevent the charm.

"Good. We were beginning to think you had died or something," Mary says lightly, twirling her wand in her hand as she leans over my bed.

"Yea, Liv, party hard enough? I mean we've been trying to wake you up for a half hour at least," Marlene jokes from her bed across the room. Suddenly it hits me: I haven't seen Mary or Mars in two weeks! They're back at Hogwarts! I launch myself out of my bed and engulf Mary in a massive hug.

"Whoa, Liv, you alright?" Mary chuckles.

"I haven't seen you guys in forever!" I squeal, tearing away from Mary and tackling Marlene. "I missed you guys!"

"It's only been two weeks," Mars laughs.

"But it seemed like FOREVER," I whine, realizing that I'm still hugging Marlene extremely tightly. "Sorry," I say, releasing her.

"You're okay, hun," Marlene chuckles again.

"Hun?" I say with raised eyebrows.

"It's her new word for everyone," Mary rolls her eyes as she talks. "But anyways," she changes tones completely, "let's go downstairs and get food! I'm starving!" I quickly pull on jeans and a shirt (which Mary says is too summer-y and makes me change out of) and we rush down to the Great Hall together.

"Hey," I say as I plop down next to Sirius, who, despite massive bags under his eyes, manages to smile charmingly up at me. I glance around at everyone in our group: Sirius, me, Lily, James, Peter, Mary, Marlene, Remus, and… Victoria? Ravenclaw girl? "Oh hey, Victoria," I smile at her, then glance at Remus (who blushes).

"It's Tori," she says as if she's explained this a million times already (which, knowing James, she probably has).

"Sorry, _Tori_," I say exaggeratedly. "I'm just used to calling you Victoria."

"And it's not like you have the best memory in the world," Sirius jokes; I elbow him in the ribs before I decide to play along.

"Well 'forgetful' is my middle name," I laugh.

"Harold is mine!" James pipes up cheerfully, eliciting a round of laughter.

"Mine is John," Remus says jokingly.

"Paola is mine," Victoria chimes in with a laugh.

"Ooo I like hers!" Mary squeals excitedly.

"Thanks, it's Spanish," Tori laughs. We're suddenly bombarded by mail and reckless birds as Owl Post arrives, sending the Great Hall into its daily turmoil. A Daily Prophet is dropped onto our table by a ferocious-looking owl that swoops down and, landing in front of Tori, holds out its leg demanding its payment. Tori drops five knuts into the owl's leg pouch and then shields her face as the owl knocks over her pumpkin juice during its takeoff. She rifles through the paper rapidly, completely disregarding the headlines, main stories, and even the comics, and pulls out a single-paged section.

"I like to read the marriage announcements," she explains somewhat sheepishly before becoming immersed in the paper.

I shoot a smirk towards Remus, and he blushes again. I then realize that I haven't filled my plate at all—this is possibly the longest amount of time that I've sat in the Great Hall without eating! Well other than the Sorting… I quickly solve this problem by loading my plate with eggs, toast, and anything else within my reach.

"Mmm," I sigh as a forkful of food reaches my mouth. I hadn't realized just how hungry I was until just now.

"You're so strange," Mary says, shaking her head at me.

"I know," I grin through my mouthful of food.

"Gross!" she squeals.

I swallow so I can stick my tongue out at her, then I resume eating large amounts of food. A silence falls on our little group as everyone becomes more focused on breakfast.

"Ohmigosh!" Tori gasps suddenly. "That bitch got married?"

I glance around the rest of the table before bursting into a fit of uncontrollable laughter. "Okay," I say through my laughs, "now you have to tell us who."

"Bellatrix Black!" she squeals with her face scrunched up.

Sirius spits pumpkin juice (honestly what is it with that boy and spitting liquids?) before saying, "Bella got married and didn't invite me?" Tori looks at him with the most horrified face I've seen yet.

"Cousins," I explain quickly. "And really Sirius, you two hate each other! Why would she invite you?"  
>"We're still related," he says dejectedly. "And I like to party, no matter whose crappy wedding it is." I laugh and nudge him on the arm. "Well come on then," he says to Tori. "Let's see the bloke."<p>

"He looks so much older than her, too," she says disgustedly before handing over the paper. Sirius looks at the paper briefly before passing it down to me. I read the first part of the article before examining the picture.

_Rodolphus Lestrange married Bellatrix Black in a beautiful winter ceremony…_

Hmm… Rodolphus Lestrange? Never heard of him. My eyes flick upward toward the picture, and after a few moments, my heart drops into my stomach. The beard and added weight can't conceal the familiar face.

_That's not his name,_ I think. I might have said that out loud. My ears pound and my heart feels like it's going to beat out of my chest. I'm standing now, not remembering getting up. I turn and run out of the hall, stumbling the whole way.

"Liv, are you okay?" Sirius asks as he catches up to me, but his voice sounds muffled.

"THAT'S NOT HIM!" I scream. "It's not him," I whisper, shaking my head, my eyes wide. But the motion makes me dizzy, and I collapse, barely being caught by Sirius.

"Who's not him? Liv, you're not making any sense," he says gently.

I shake my head. He lowers me down to a sitting position and sits beside me. I lean back against the wall and try to clear my head. I slow my breathing, and I stop feeling like I'm going to pass out.

"You're okay, everything's going to be fine," Sirius whispers as he wraps his arms around me and pulls me close to him. I let my head fall onto his shoulder.

"No it isn't," I say softly.

"And why not?" he asks, like he's talking to a child. And, well, after my display of insanity, I can't say I blame him.

"Because," I breathe. "That's not Rodolphus Lestrange."

"I realized that," he chuckles. "And who do you suppose it is?"

I grow quiet, and we just sit there for a while. Finally I speak. "It's my dad. Bellatrix married my dad."

*Dog Days Are Over*

I haven't spoken much over the past few days. Classes starting up again has made that part easier: I've spent more time studying this week than I have my whole life—not because I need to, but because it's an excuse not to talk to anyone. I don't want talk about my dad, and I don't want to talk about Bellatrix. But that's all Sirius wants to talk about. So I find myself avoiding him more than the others.

Victoria tried to apologize for the fact that I was now related to Bellatrix once she heard, but I just started screaming at her, and that escalated into a huge fight in which Remus took my side; I don't feel guilty at all for being the reason they broke up.

Remus, James, Lily, Mary, and Mars have wisely decided to avoid that topic of conversation at all cost, while Peter is deathly afraid of speaking to me in case he should say something wrong. It's better that way: I really hate that boy.

Today has been long, and people seem more desperate to talk than usual. In an attempt to avoid it all, I leave the common room and allow the portrait hole to slam shut behind me as I make my way to the library for the millionth time this week, my arms laden with books of random subjects.

"Liv," I hear Sirius call from behind me. I ignore him and keep walking. "Olivia, you can't run from this forever!"

"Oh yes I can," I call over my shoulder as I quicken my pace.

"No, you can't," he says, suddenly in front of me. Startled, I throw my books everywhere, but I stop and decide to hear him out. "What happened between your dad and my cousin doesn't change anything between us."

I laugh mirthlessly. "You don't honestly believe that, do you? Of course it changes things! It means that I'll be forced to have contact with a man I hate beyond words!"

"No, it doesn't! I'm not part of that family, Olivia, and you know it! You saw the letter! I'm never going back, and neither are you!"

"Sirius," I whisper, my voice so quiet even I can barely hear it. "What if I can't do this?"

"Running away won't help you," he replies almost sadly.

"Oh that means a lot, coming from you, who ran away from his family just like I did!" My voice is loud again as anger fills me up again; Sirius seems taken aback.

"There's a difference between running away and being banished," he says darkly.

"Not the way I see it," I retort, gathering up my books and stalking away. This was over: Sirius and I were done.

****A/N: Don't hate me! It had to happen! And yes, this seems like a crappy way to end a story, but there's still the epilogue! This isn't the real end! Please just survive for another few days! Thanks to everyone who reviewed last time! You guys are amazing! (And Crazily Obsessed: Did you like your cameo? I know it was small, but I have a whole future story for you to get placed in.) Leave a review if you want the epilogue to go up tomorrow—otherwise I might make you wait (mwahaha)! And this isn't the end of me: I have an adopted story coming up next that's Remus/OC called What You Wish For (originally written by sandersonsisters) that I'm super excited for, so be sure to check back soon! Love to all, and read on!****


	15. Epilogue: Leave All You Love

Epilogue: Leave All Your Love

_Sirius_

_Two Years Later_

Both of them gone. I couldn't even risk seeing the house one last time—I'm not sure if I wanted to anyway. It would only make the fake that James and Lily aren't here real. And it's my fault. Why did they listen to me when I suggested Peter as Secret-keeper?

But the Ministry's wrong. It may be my fault, but I never betrayed James and Lily. I would never.

I haven't slept since that night. I left as soon as I heard what happened, and have been on the run ever since. Being a dog makes running easier: people give you food if you beg, you sleep anywhere that's dry, and no one ever suspects that you're on the run. Being human is too risky. Everyone thinks I did this; not even Dumbledore knew I wasn't Secret-keeper. There's no one who would possibly know—would possibly believe—that innocent Peter Pettigrew would have betrayed James and Lily; I was a more likely villain. No one could readily accept that it was Peter without evidence. No one except…

It's a crazy thought that I fight to erase from my head. She turned on me before any of this had even happened—I couldn't expect her to trust me now. But she's my last hope: the only one who had ever seen Peter for what he really was.

The winding country road behind me is void of people, but I dash away from it to be safe. I transform back into a human in a nearby grove and Disapparate. I know exactly where I'm going: her house is barely five miles from James and Lily's.

I land in the middle of a quiet street, lined with identical houses with perfect lawns. As I look closer, I see nothing that sets any house apart from any other house—not even a number.

_Homenum revelio,_ I whisper, and immediately see that every house, save one, is deserted. And that's when I know she's waiting for me. I run to the un-deserted house and, pointing my wand at the door, blast it off its hinges. But I barely make it two steps into the house before I'm slammed backwards into the wall with a wand at my throat.

"You killed them," she growls.

"Olivia, I didn't."

"You might as well have. You sold them out and led him straight to them. And you've come to finish me off, too," she snarls, the point of her wand digging deeper into my throat.

"I never betrayed them."

"Liar," she spits viciously, slamming into me with renewed force.

"I wasn't their Secret-keeper," I wheeze, trying to move my head so her wand wasn't cutting off my breathing.

"Oh yea? And who was it? Pettigrew?" she sneers. I look into her eyes, willing her to see that she was right. I don't know how I know she believes me, but I can tell she does.

After a time, she drops her wand, turns on her heel, and throws herself into a chair with her head in her hands. It seems like ages before she speaks, but when she finally does, her voice is cracking and she's holding back tears.

"You have to hide then. Hide until someone else realizes the truth." She looks up at me, her eyes wide and desperate.

"Olivia," I say, still standing against the wall, "that could be ages. It might not even happen at all." Her gaze drops to the floor again, and she lets out a sigh. "I have to find Peter. Then the Ministry will understand that I'm innocent."

"They won't believe you." She shakes her head and lets out a mirthless laugh. "Hell, I'm not even sure that I believe you."

"But they'll believe him," I say urgently.

She laughs again. "You expect him to confess? Pettigrew's got You-Know-Who on his side! You know what he's like, Sirius. He's not going to change sides to what he thinks is the losing team."

"I have to try! Peter was my friend once—"

"And he'll betray you just as easily as he did James! This won't happen like you see it in your head, Sirius! You're going to end up dead or in Azkaban!" She's standing now, and every trace of tears has left her face.

"This isn't about me!" I roar, furious now. "This is about James and Lily!" She recoils at the sound of their names, and a single tear falls down her face. "I have to do this. I have to find Peter." I step out of the house and prepare to Disapparate. I have no idea where he'd be, but I'll search all of Britain if I have to.

"Then why come here?" she calls after me. I stop in my tracks, looking over my shoulder before turning to face her again.

"Someone once told me," I say softly, stepping closer to her and cupping her face with my hands, "that it's not your first kiss that counts, but your last." A tear rolls down her cheek, and I brush it off with my thumb before our lips meet.

I pull away slowly and gaze into her eyes as the tears fall freely down her face. A crease appears on her forehead as she struggles to find words, but none come. I let her go and walk a few paces away, preparing to Disapparate. I hesitate for a second as I realize that what she said was true: Even if I found Peter, he'd never confess. I was either dead or headed for Azkaban.

I decide I don't care anymore, and I turn on the spot.

****A/N: THE END. Did you like it? This chapter was written while I was listening to Taylor Swift's new track Safe & Sound—it really reflects all the tones of this final chapter, so check it out. I'd just like to thank everyone who read, reviewed, favorited, and/or alerted this story. I love you all so much and I really hope you enjoyed this story. Please check back for What You Wish For, which will be coming soon. Thanks again, guys, really.****


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